by Connie Tabbert
Editor
COBDEN — An overview of the Ontario Clean Water Agency and the standard of care as it pertains to council’s involvement and responsibility was provided at last week’s Whitewater Region Township council meeting.
Brad Sweet, operations manager, and Daragh Slowey, business development manager, spoke to council about these issues.
OCWA (Ontario Clean Water Agency) is a provincial crown agency that has been providing water and wastewater services for more than 20 years, Mr. Sweet said.
It has the best-in-class compliance and safety record, he noted, adding, and provides a full range of technical and advisory services to more than 200 municipal clients.
OCWA is the largest water and wastewater operator in Canada, noted Mr. Slowey. While the corporate headquarters is in Toronto, for Whitewater township the regional office is in Kingston while the hub office is in Petawawa, he added.
Of the 444 municipalities in the province, OCWA is involved with 180 municipalities he said.
“We have nearly a 100 per cent renewal contract rate with those municipalities,” Mr. Slowey said.
“We have over 800 employees who share their knowledge and skills-set,” he added.
As well as having qualified and certified staff to manage water and wastewater treatment plants, it has on staff millwrights and electricians if needed.
OCWA has been operating the Cobden water treatment plant, drinking water distribution system and the sewage plant and collection system, as well as the Beachburg and Haley water treatment plants, he said. This has been ongoing for around 18 months.
And, because of the staff it has, including millwrights and electricians, the cost to the township is kept as minimal as possible, he said. It would be extremely expensive if the township had to hire contractors for various jobs, he explained.
As the operating authority in the township, OCWA must meet all compliance and requirements, make recommendations for long-term capital planning, provide water quality reports and annual reports, have a comprehensive emergency management program in place, meet and communicate with township staff on a regular basis, schedule and participate in facility tours and provide detailed reports regarding the plants, Mr. Slowey explained.
He noted that Muskrat Lake is the water source for drinking water in Cobden.
“It’s a fairly large body of water of good quality for drinking purposes,” Mr. Slowey said.
Treatment is required for all surface and well water systems in Ontario, he noted.
“We all share the same goal of providing safe, potable drinking water to residents,” Mr. Slowey said.
All water has certain substances, which may be naturally occurring or man made, he said.
“Some substances are unsafe for human health while others may pose problems for water treatments, such as magnesium or calcium, possibly organic matter such as decaying plant life,” Mr. Slowey said.
Water usually contains a wide range of living organisms, some of which are not visible to the naked eye he said.
“They are microscopic, some of which might cause disease or even death,” Mr. Slowey said.
“The best approach is to always assume that untreated water is not safe to drink until it is tested and proven otherwise,” he stated.
Once the water is treated it is delivered to the water distribution system, which usually includes storage of water, such as a pressure tank or water tower, he said.
The Standard of Care, which is provided in Section 19 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, extends legal responsibility to every person who exercises decision-making authority over the system, Mr. Slowey said.
To consider the water quality meets the standards act, there are 21 elements to be met by OCWA, he said.
All drinking water systems must have a licence to operate, he said. To obtain a licence, a municipality must do five things, he said. It must hire an accredited authority to operate a plant, and Whitewater hired OCWA, which must follow and maintain a quality management system
The township must also prepare a financial plan, Mr. Slowey said. As the top management of the plants, council must have a licence to take water, endorse an operational plan for drinking water systems and participate in management reviews and respond to audits, he said.
As a municipal councillor, you must ask questions and remain informed, Mr. Slowey stated. Questions each council member should ask include am I familiar with the Safe Drinking Water Act, have I toured the township’s drinking water facility and do I have an understanding of OCWA’s day-to-day operating responsibilities.
“As council, you are not expected to be the experts, you should be relying on your accredited authority,” Mr. Slowey said. “You hired OCWA.”
These and many other questions can be answered at the Taking Care of Your Drinking Water workshop that is being held March 30 in Petawawa, he said. Mr. Slowey and Mr. Sweet encouraged all council members to attend this workshop if possible.
Councillor Charlene Jackson said along with the yearly report, she would like to see the quarterly reports provided to council as well.
Environmental Services manager Steve Hodson said all the reports are posted on the township’s web site for anyone to review.
However, Coun. Jackson said she wants the reports provided to council in case there are issues or concerns they should be aware of.
Mr. Sweet said providing them to council would be OK.
“It’s a huge undertaking to hand over responsibility like this to a third party,” he said. “We take it very seriously and want you to feel comfortable.”
Mayor Hal Johnson said it’s true council contracted out management of the plants, but the liability still remains with council.
Mr. Sweet also wanted to mention to council how well the three staff are working who left the township.
“The three people we took on are doing a fantastic job,” he said. “They are very, very diligent in their duties. We are happy they are running your facilities.”
He then encouraged council to visit the facilities to get a general knowledge of what they are.
“The more you know about the facilities, the better it is for me,” he said. “The more educated council is, the easier council is to work with.”
